


The Thrill of the Chase

by vivelarepublique



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Behavior, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21894643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivelarepublique/pseuds/vivelarepublique
Summary: A Kozue-centric fic with the slightest AU: What if Miki wasn’t the student council’s first choice of a Kaoru to recruit? Written for the 2019 Empty Movement Secret Santa.
Relationships: Kaoru Kozue & Arisugawa Juri, Kaoru Kozue & Himemiya Anthy, Kaoru Kozue & Saionji Kyouichi, Kaoru Kozue/Kiryuu Touga
Kudos: 15





	The Thrill of the Chase

**I. Séduction**

The seasons never seemed to change much at Ohtori Academy, some praising the mild climate, most not paying much attention at all, but on a seemingly seasonal spring morning, Kozue Kaoru found herself standing overlooking campus down the hall from where her brother would practice the piano.

It wasn’t that she was waiting for Miki, or that she wanted to play piano with or without him, far from it, but she seemed drawn there. Some instinct told her that this spot was the place to be.

As if on cue, Touga Kiryuu strode down the hall and leaned up against the column next to her. “Kaoru-kun, I have some student council business to discuss with you.”

“Oh, the student council president has business with me,” Kozue glanced over, almost coquettish. She leaned toward him. “Perhaps we could discuss the matter in private. I know just the place.”

“Lead the way,” Touga smiled back, as Kozue brought them to the practice room.

“Do you have something to play for me?” Touga asked, closing the door behind them.

“Mmm, I have some ideas.” Kozue loosened her kerchief and leaned back up against the piano. Touga smirked, a hand going to the small of her back as he kissed the younger girl.

Neither seemed to notice the discordant melody plinked out by the piano as the two did what they knew best.

Afterward, Touga pulled something out of his pocket. The silver ring glittered in the midday light. “For you,” Touga said, kissing Kozue’s hand before he slid it onto her ring finger.

“You didn’t need to get me anything,” Kozue said with a smirk, admiring the flash of the rose crest on her left hand all the same.

Touga gave a smile as he started to close his shirt. “Well, let’s just say the student council needs another member, and the End of the World sees fit for you to be a duelist.”

“A duelist, huh?” Kozue’s eyes didn’t leave the ring.

“That’s right. That means you can participate in the duels for the Rose Bride, and if you win,” at this Touga ran a hand through his long hair, “you are engaged to her, and can have the chance to gain the power to bring revolution to the world.”

“Engagement? Sounds serious.” Kozue slid the ring off her finger, examining it more closely, seeing the way the crest caught the room’s ambient light.

“I assure you it’s not as binding as it sounds. Even the letters with instructions from End of the World that we receive are ours to do with as we please.”

“Well if he’s so communicative, why couldn’t this End of the World tell me himself?” She gave a side-eyed glance at Touga.

“That’s just not how it works,” Touga put a hand on Kozue’s still bare shoulder, leaning to whisper into her ear. “Only those on the student council get letters from him. But I assure you there are also other...perks to being on the student council.” 

Kozue brushed Touga’s hand off nonchalantly. “Mm, that doesn’t seem to be quite my style. But I had fun today.” She set the ring on top of the gleaming wood of the piano. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” Adjusting her uniform as she walked, Kozue exited the practice room, leaving the unperturbed student council president in her wake.

Wild animals weren’t so easily caged, after all.

**II. Détermination**

Kozue was chatting up a boy in the next grade when the student council vice president approached her. 

“Kozue Kaoru.”

Kozue laughed at some trivial thing the boy said. Saionji Kyouichi’s eyebrow twitched. Kozue put a hand on the boy’s chest, caressing it as she leaned closer. “Oh, I’m sorry Atsushi-kun, it seems like the vice president wants to have a word with me.”

“Oh? Have you gotten yourself in trouble?” Atsushi grinned.

Kozue giggled. “Oh, a girl never tells!”

“Kozue Kaoru,” Saionji repeated, slightly louder this time, and more visibly annoyed. “Come with me.”

Kozue stepped lightly off the wall she’d been leaning against and walked over to the vice president. 

“And to what do I owe the pleasure?” Kozue said.

“You know what this is about.” Saionji held up his left hand, flashing the rose crest on his ring finger.

“Ah.”

“‘Ah?’ Do you know what an honor it is to be chosen to be a duelist?”

Kozue yawned. “Actually, no. Touga never quite got around to explaining that part to me. We were busy with more...interesting things.” If Saionji understood the younger girl’s insinuations, he paid them no mind as he charged forward with his speech.

“Being a duelist means you get to fight for the hand of the Rose Bride. Anthy!”

“Yes, Saionji-sama.”

Had Kozue been anyone else, she would have jumped, as the girl who could only be Anthy seemed to materialize next to Saionji. She couldn’t tell if Anthy was looking at her or through her, as glassy green eyes stared blankly in her direction.

“Anthy, the Rose Bride, holds the ultimate power: the power to revolutionize the world.”

Kozue couldn’t help but scoff. “That really sounds like a lot more than a girl alone could do.”

“In the right hands,” at this, Saionji grabbed Anthy to him, hand possessively on her shoulder, “she can grant her Engaged the eternal things they seek. That is, if you could even beat me in a duel.” His mouth curled into a smug smirk, squared shoulders only adding to his air of confidence.

“Depends on the circumstances, I suppose,” Kozue shrugged. 

“The rules of the duels are simple. Once you join–”

Kozue sighed. “You know, Kiryuu-sempai is a lot more fun than you are.”

Saionji couldn’t help but gawk for a second before glaring. “I assure you this is no mere game, and this offer should be taken with the utmost seriousness. Anyway, Anthy, we’re going. I have a kendo practice to run.”

Kozue swore she saw a flicker of amusement in the girl’s eyes, but she decided it must have been a trick of the light as Saionji stalked away and Anthy drifted calmly after him.

_ What an odd pair,  _ Kozue couldn’t help but think. The boy she’d been talking to long since gone, she strode off in search of another to kill time with before afternoon classes started up again.

**III. Obstination**

Most middle schoolers would have been utterly intimidated or incredibly honored to have Juri Arisugawa approach them, but after the kind of week Kozue had been having, it seemed pretty par for the course. Besides, Miki hadn’t shut up about Juri once he has first started fencing. Frankly, Kozue thought she knew all she needed to know about the girl.

What she didn’t know was that Juri too was on the student council. 

“I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

Kozue looked up from the book she been feigning reading for class. The weather was perfectly temperate, and Kozue enjoyed the feeling of grass on the back of her legs as she sat under one of the many trees around the edges of the campus.

“Ah, the great Arisugawa-sempai. If you’re looking for my brother, he’s not here.”

Juri kept standing, and Kozue was under the impression she expected Kozue to stand too. She most notably did not. 

“Actually, no. I was looking for you. I am the treasurer of the student council, and I have been informed that you have not yet accepted our offer to join yourself.”

Kozue closed her book, raising an eyebrow at Juri. “I thought it was that End of the World guy’s offer.”

“The student council takes direction from End of the World, yes, but we have reached out to you directly.” 

“Seems like a lot of back and forth to me,” Kozue put her hands behind her head and reclined back on the grass. “But why me of all people?”

Juri, seeming to realize this would not be as short a conversation as she may have wished, sat down on the grass next to Kozue. Her long coral pant legs seemed even more vibrant against the green grass. 

“I can’t say why End of the World chose you, but I can only assume you have some motivation to duel.” Kozue, her eyes closed, enjoying the breeze, could feel Juri’s eyes on her.

“Who’s to say. I can’t say I’ve given it much thought.”

“As for dueling itself,” Juri continued, “I’ve never seen you at fencing club practice, so I can’t speak to your actual dueling skills. Or perhaps kendo is more your style?”

Kozue scoffed. “Even if it was, I don’t think I could stand the captain long enough to learn anything.” 

At that, Juri gave a small chuckle. “He is a bit...abrasive.” There was a pause. The birds in the tree above chirped. “But I’m sure Miki would love it if you joined the fencing club.”

At that, Kozue’s attention shifted. She opened her eyes, taking in the bits of blue sky peeking through the tree branches above her. 

“Miki doesn’t need me there.”

“Perhaps not,” Juri conceded. “But if you’re even half as good as him, you’d be one of our best fencers.”

In a flurry of pleats, Kozue was off her back and straddling Juri instead. To her credit, the fencing captain didn’t flinch, but Kozue could feel Juri’s leg muscles clenched beneath her, a panther ready to strike.

“Oh, I’m sure I would,” Kozue whispered. Juri’s impassive expression gave way to a hint of admiration.

“Indeed,” Juri hummed. “But we’re getting ahead of ourselves aren’t we?” 

Kozue lifted herself off of Juri, and this time, she remained standing. “I won’t be joining the student council, for the record.”

“But the fencing club?” Juri quirked an eyebrow.

“Mmm, you’ll have to wait and see on that,” Kozue smirked. She leaned down to snatch up her textbook and headed back to her dorm, leaving the student council treasurer behind her.

**IV. Réalisation**

The week ended, classes continued as normal, and Kozue received no more visitors from the student council. 

_ It’s almost disappointing how quickly they gave up, _ she thought, wandering the courtyards of the campus. 

“You know, if you had joined the student council, you could’ve gone anywhere you wanted,” a soft voice said. 

Kozue turned to see the Rose Bride herself filling her watering can. 

“It wouldn’t have been worth all the responsibility...No offense.”

Anthy said nothing, merely smiled. The water reached the very rim of the golden vessel before she turned off the spicket. 

“I’m sure your brother will enjoy the position far more than you would.”

“What?”

“Oh, hasn’t he told you? After you declined to join, it was decided that Miki would be the next student council member. Unlike you, he eagerly accepted.”

Kozue was at a loss for words. “Why are you telling me this?”

The girl simply smiled. Anthy picked up the watering can again, cradling it carefully. All the same, water sloshed out the top and spilled onto the ground and the edge of her skirt. “Oh, dear...But water always dries."

Kozue’s eyes narrowed, searching the Rose Bride’s face for an answer to her question. All she found was a placid expression and the light reflecting off of the girl’s glasses.

“Anthy!” A familiar voice came from the direction of the greenhouse. “Where are you?”

“Coming, Saionji-sama,” Anthy called out. “Kaoru-san,” she gave another smile before heading over to her Engaged.

Kozue had thought the student council and its games were just that, a hunt, a chase to stick her in a gilded cage. But seeing Anthy walk away, she could not shake the feeling that she had been caught in a different snare.


End file.
